


Ready, Set, Fall For You

by multifandom_fanatic



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes and the 21st Century, Christmas, Christmas Decorations, Christmas Fluff, Christmas traditions, Fluff, Getting Together, Gift Exchange, Idiots in Love, M/M, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Winteriron Holiday Exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-24
Updated: 2015-12-24
Packaged: 2018-05-06 20:36:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5429969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/multifandom_fanatic/pseuds/multifandom_fanatic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony decides it's time for the Avengers to actually celebrate the Christmas holidays together. What better way to celebrate the holidays then to bring together everyone's traditions? He was kidding himself though. This wasn't about the team, it was about Bucky Barnes. He really just wanted to win Bucky over now that he knew he was head over heels for him.<br/>Bucky doesn't know what he's feeling, and he doesn't know what to do about it. He just knows that he notices Tony's presence and disappearances, and when Tony's gone it upsets him more than it should. He'd do anything to spend time with Tony, even if it meant taking control and winning Tony over himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ready, Set, Fall For You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Towaneko](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Towaneko/gifts).



> This story is for Towaneko for the WinterIron Gift Exchange. I hope you like it. This story ended up being so much longer than I initially planned, but I'm so happy with it. First time writing this ship, so I hope I've done it justice. I put a lot of work and time into this story, and I really enjoyed writing it. Also, major thank you to RickGrimes for being my beta and fixing this up for me, you're a true gem.

Tony's POV  
Tony rummaged his way through the boxes in the far side of his workshop. It was the only place he could think of to put the decorations, since he never put them out. Pepper had convinced him a few years ago, but after that, he had let her handle all holiday organizing.

This year was different though. It was the first year all the avengers would be in the tower together to celebrate Christmas. It was the first Christmas they would be spending with Bucky on the team. And yeah, maybe Tony wanted to impress Bucky, or maybe he just wanted to win Bucky over.

His little crush on the ex-assassin had turned into a full on 'head-over-heels' crush. Bucky spent almost all of his time with Steve though, and Tony could feel his chances with Bucky slipping away. He had overheard Bucky and Steve talking about how much they loved Christmas, and it struck a nerve in Tony.

Christmas had always been his favorite holiday growing up. It was the only time of the year that his parents would actually come together and act like a happy family. It was the only time that Tony felt his parents had noticed him. When they died, he had pushed Christmas off, choosing to celebrate it as little as possible.

With Pepper coming into his life, he had accepted the holiday spirit again and started to celebrate again. Normally he left organizing to her, but this time he wanted to be the one to set everything up. He wanted this year to go perfectly, just like it had for him when he was younger.

Shaking his head to get the reminiscing to stop, Tony dragged out four huge boxes and pushed them towards the elevator. With a bit of maneuvering, he managed to push all the boxes into the elevator, and pushed the button that led to the main floor where everyone spent most of their time.

When the doors slide open with a whoosh, Tony jumped at the sound of a voice. "What the hell is all of that?" Bucky asked, standing on the other side of the elevator.

"Boxes," Tony replied simply, pushing the containers out of the elevator and into the living room.

"Boxes for what?" Steve asked, rounding the corner with Sam in tow, and appearing next to Bucky.

"For Christmas. It's December first," Tony said as if that explained his reasoning. Once he had the boxes pushed against the wall he turned back around to see the three men staring at him strangely. "What?" he asked defensively.

"You’re getting Christmas things out? You celebrate Christmas? With decorations, and Christmas trees, and presents, and things?" Sam asked in shock.

"Yes. Why is that so surprising?" Tony asked, affronted.

"You just don't seem like the 'celebrating the holidays' type," Natasha said, gliding into the room from God knows where.

Tony frowned. "It was my favorite holiday growing up, actually. The only one my parents cared to celebrate together. And since this is the first Christmas everyone is going to be here at the tower, why the hell shouldn't we celebrate?"

"It's not a bad point. We could all do with a break, and besides, it might actually be fun," Clint agreed, appearing behind Natasha.

"Great, glad we had this conversation. Now is anyone actually going to help me but any of this stuff up?" Tony asked, his gaze lingering on Bucky.

"Sorry, no can do, Tony. Steve, Sam, and I have a mission to go to. Maybe some other time," Bucky said, pushing the button and walking into the elevator, with Steve and Sam following him.

"I'd love to help, but Coulson called me in for something so I have to head down to SHIELD. Maybe later," Clint said, leaving the room.

"Decorating isn't really my thing. Why don't you go ask Bruce or Thor?" Nat offered.

Tony just shook his head. "Doesn't matter. Everyone's busy at the moment. It can be done later," he said instead.

"You could always find out traditions that everyone does over the holiday and offer that?" Nat recommended.

"Yeah, sure, JARVIS, get on that for me, would you?" Tony asked, turning towards the kitchen.

"Certainly, Sir," JARVIS replied.

Tony didn't even know that Natasha had followed him until her voice popped up right next to his ear. "The Nutcracker. One of the things I love most about the season is getting to see a production of The Nutcracker."

"Done. Add it to the list, JARVIS," Tony said, giving Natasha one of his real smiles. Natasha smiled back, before disappearing from the room as inconspicuously as she had entered.

"What list?" Bruce asked, grabbing a cup of coffee and leaning against the counter opposite from Tony.

"We're turning this Christmas into the first Avengers Christmas celebration. JARVIS is making a list of everyone's traditions and we can all do the traditions together," Tony replied, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"Going to the movie theater and watching a movie on Christmas Eve," Bruce said, looking over at Tony.

"JARVIS?" Tony asked, catching Bruce's gaze and giving him a nod.

"Already done, Sir," JARVIS replied.

"Thanks, man, appreciate it," Tony said, clapping Bruce on the shoulder as he walked past him.

Tony headed back down to his workshop, almost literally running smack into Thor as he did. "Hey, Thor, you got any Christmas traditions? Keep in mind this isn't Asgard so something more Midgardian would be preferable," Tony spoke up.

Thor paused for a moment, deep in thought. "Ice skating, something I used to do with my mother growing up," he answered, a brief look of grief crossing his face before he smiled again.

"Thanks, big guy," Tony said, turning back to his workshop.

"What's it for?" Thor asked, causing Tony to turn back.

"Avengers Christmas celebrations, activities to all do together," he responded.

"That sounds cheerful. Count me in," Thor replied. Tony gave him a thankful nod and headed back to his workshop.

Instead of working though, he sat at his desk, editing and rearranging the list that JARVIS had been creating. He added everyone else to the list and left blank spaces next to their names to add their traditions.

After a second of hesitation, he moved Bucky's name to the top of the list and starred it.

"Sir, Captain Rogers, Sergeant Barnes, and Mr. Wilson have returned from their mission. They require some fixing on their equipment," JARVIS spoke up.

"Send 'em in," Tony answered, sliding the file away from the screen. Moments later, the three men walked out of the elevator into the workshop.

Pushing himself away from his desk, he spun around to face the others, his gaze immediately finding Bucky and lingering on him. "What happened?" Tony asked all of them, directing the question more at Bucky than the rest though.

"Nothing we couldn't handle," Steve spoke up, dropping his shield next to one of Tony's lab tables.

Shaking his head, Tony forced himself to look away from Bucky. "What do you need, Cap?" he asked instead.

"Just a couple minor fixes. Broke my comm unit, couple screws came loose in Buck's arm, and Sam dented one of his wings," Steve said.

"Easy fixes. Leave your cowl and the wings on the table, I'll fix them. Barnes will have to stay so I can work on the arm," Tony replied, getting up from his chair.

Steve and Sam placed their gear on the table and turned to leave. "We'll be up on the main floor," Steve said to Bucky, who just nodded his understanding.

Once the other two were gone, Tony kicked a chair towards Bucky. "Have a seat," he said, pulling out some of his tools. Bucky did as he was told and sat down.

"Do you ever tire of fixing this up?" Bucky finally spoke up, motioning to his metal arm. Tony actually laughed, shaking his head as he pulled out a screwdriver and a couple of other tools.

"I tinker and fix things, Bucky. It's what I do. I'll never tire of fixing things up or creating things. It's my job," Tony replied, inspecting the arm before starting to adjust minor things.

It fell silent for a few minutes, just Tony tweaking and tightening things up on the arm. Bucky spoke up again, glancing at Tony before looking away. "Why all the Christmas spirit suddenly?"

Tony shrugged, putting down the screwdriver and picking up a pair of pliers. "Just thought it was about time to have everyone come together and actually do something light hearted."

"Doesn't seem like you. You don't come across as sentimental," Bucky said, now looking at Tony.

Tony rolled his eyes. "There's more to me than just being a billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."

"Clearly. You can add sentimental to the list now, too," Bucky added.

"Liking Christmas does not make me sentimental. Do you not celebrate? No traditions?" Tony fired back.

"I've been under Hydra's control for the last seventy years and you ask me if I celebrate Christmas?" Bucky asked, his expression unreadable.

Tony sighed and stepped backward. "Don't be part of the team, your loss. Don't go sulking to Steve when you're left out while the rest of us are enjoying the holidays. You're free to go."

Tony turned his back to Bucky and collected his tools. He heard Bucky get up and walk away, towards the elevator. He heard the quiet slide of the doors as they opened and Bucky stepped inside.

"Tony. A real Christmas tree and mistletoe hung around the house. Those are my traditions," Bucky said, and then he pushed the button, causing the doors to close behind him.

A few moments passed with Tony just staring at the closed elevator doors in awe. "What the hell was that?" he asked himself, shaking his head to clear his mind.

Dropping back in his seat, he pulled up the list again to add Bucky's traditions. All the blanks were filled in now except for Bucky. Next to Steve's name was secret Santa, Sam had gingerbread houses, and Clint had cookies. JARVIS had done his job, as Tony knew he would.

He quickly typed in Bucky's traditions and sat back, looking at the list. Time to organize when to do each tradition.

 

Bucky's POV  
The next day, Bucky was lounging in the main room watching TV with most of the team. Everything was relatively quiet, that is, until Tony paraded in the room with a very pleased look on his face.

"What's got you so happy?" Bucky asked, not really taking his eyes off the TV.

Tony cleared his throat and announced, "I have everything organized for Christmas celebrations."

Everyone turned and gave Tony their attention, except for Bucky, who was still watching the TV. "Buck," Steve said, elbowing Bucky in the ribs and nodding towards Tony.

Taking a deep breath, as if preparing for battle, Bucky dragged his attention from the TV to Tony. Once Tony knew he had everyone's attention, he began to talk.

"So, now I've got everyone's traditions down, I made a list and got everything ready so that we can do everyone's traditions before Christmas and make this a holiday worth celebrating. Unfortunately for you all, I'm Tony Stark, and I go all out.

"So, without further ado, this week we will start with Steve's tradition of secret Santa and Bucky's tradition of buying a real Christmas tree and mistletoe which we can put up around the tower.

"Next week we'll all go to The Nutcracker production in the David H. Koch Theater for Nat. And then ice skating as well for Thor.

"The following week it's baking Christmas cookies for Clint's tradition, and we'll decorate gingerbread houses for Sam.

"And the final week, on Christmas Eve, we'll go to the movie theater and see a movie for Bruce's tradition. And then exchange secret Santa’s on Christmas day. Everyone cool with that?" Tony finished.

The team all gave their seal of approval and general happiness for Tony's plan. All except for Bucky, who was back to watching the TV again, acting almost uninterested in Tony's planning.

When Tony had settled beside Bruce, debating the best type of cookies with Clint, Steve nudged Bucky again. Sighing, Bucky once again moved his gaze from the show he was watching to his best friend.

"What?" Bucky asked, half rolling his eyes.

"What's up with you? You're acting weird. You used to love Christmas, now it's like you don't care," Steve asked in concern.

Bucky shook his head, his eyes flashing. The flash in Bucky's eyes made Steve remember the Winter Soldier’s side in his best friend that still lingered. "Nothing is wrong with me. This just feels like some team building exercise. Why is Tony making this such a big deal? And I still love Christmas, thank you. Just, is all this necessary?"

"He's making a big deal out of it because he's right. This is the first real holiday we'll all be spending together. It's about time we started acting like a unit and not just people who fight together because we have to. He's just trying to please everyone and get us all in the Christmas spirit, give everyone something to be happy about. To Tony, it's necessary, and being a team means going with it because that's what will make him happy. If it keeps him out of the lab working on yet another suit then it's for the better," Steve replied, keeping his voice down so their conversation stayed between them.

"I didn't know you and Tony were so close. Aren't you just so lucky to be in his presence when he's not in the workshop? Not all of us get the luxury of spending time with him out of the workshop. God, when are you not Captain America, standing up for everyone and pleasing everyone all the time? Sometimes it's better talking to Steve Rogers, my best friend, the kid who doesn't take shit from anyone. There's only so much righteousness a guy can take," Bucky replied, pushing himself up from the couch and stalking from the room.

Everyone's eyes snapped up, watching Bucky storm out of the room. "What's wrong with him?" Tony asked Steve, concern leaking into his voice, betraying his usual carefree attitude.

"He's just having one of his off days again. He'll be alright," Steve said, shaking off everyone's worried looks.

"Should someone, you know, go after him?" Tony asked again. This question made Steve glance at Tony, scrutinizing him for a second, before he shook his head.

"No, he's always been stubborn. Much like me, he'd rather just be alone," Steve replied. This seemed to appease Tony, because he nodded back and turned his attention to Clint again.

Meanwhile, Bucky took the elevator up to the rooftop. He stood at the edge, leaning on the railing, and glancing out to the fast paced city racing beneath him.

He sucked in an angry breath, letting it huff out through his nose. He didn't even realize he was balling his metal hand into a fist until he was slamming it down into the railing hard enough to cause it to buckle and break apart.  
When he noticed the damage he had caused a gasp slipped past his lips. His eyes shifted once more and he felt the fight drain out of him. He slumped against the railing, feeling worn out and tired.

Things have never been this hard for him back in the old days. Then again, this was like nothing he had ever experienced when he was younger. Things were a whole lot less complicated back then. He hadn't been a brainwashed assassin then, either. He didn't know how to open up and ask for help. Just another thing to add to his list of things he needed to work on.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" Bucky asked himself, wishing the answer would just appear in the bustle of the city. It didn't. He was stuck fighting things he didn't understand and didn't know how to control.

 

Tony's POV  
The following day all of the Avengers put their names on a piece of paper and placed it in a bowl, just like Steve used to do. They then took turns pulling names out for their secret Santa. Tony was more than pleased when he pulled Bucky's name out of the bowl.

It didn't take long for Tony to come up with the perfect present he wanted to give Bucky. He just needed some time down in his lab to actually work on it.

Every time he tried to slip off though, one of the team tackled him with something. He would either get stuck talking to Bruce about quantum physics, or Natasha about mixed martial arts techniques, or even Thor about the details of Christmas and how people on Earth celebrated.

Not that Tony minded all that much. The Christmas mood was catching and the team actually wanted him around, so Tony was happy.

Next thing Tony knew, the day had arrived to complete Bucky's tradition. Everyone had piled into the quinjet, and they were on their way out to the nearest forest to pick out a tree and mistletoe themselves.

Everyone seemed to be in high spirits, talking amongst themselves about how big the tree should be. Tony watched as he saw Bucky smiling and laughing at something Thor had just said. It made Tony grin. It was one of the first times since the Christmas traditions started that Tony had seen Bucky smile. It was something he was determined to see more often.

Tony stood on the sidelines and watched as the team joked around and laughed. He could hear Clint, who was piloting, and Natasha arguing over which type of decoration was better on top of the tree, an angel or a star. Soon, the entire team was in on the debate, and Tony couldn’t help but smile at the childish antics. This was exactly what he had been hoping for. Now all he needed was to win Bucky over and this really would be everything he had ever dreamed of.

Thinking of Bucky, Tony pulled out his StarkPad and made some adjustments to his design for Bucky’s present. If all went to plan, and it always did, he would have the perfect tool for Bucky to use.

He was interrupted once again when Bruce appeared next to him. “We’re about to land. Why aren’t you joining in on the team debate?” he asked, bumping Tony’s shoulder with his own.

Tony just shrugged, but flashed Bruce a smile nonetheless. “Much more entertaining to stand back and watch you all instead.” His eyes shifted back to Bucky, and his smile grew when he saw Bucky laughing so hard he was leaning against Natasha to stay upright.

“Looks like you managed to get everyone to get along. You deserve recognition for that,” Bruce said.

Shaking his head, Tony bumped into Bruce this time. “No need for that. Someone needed to do something that made us more of a team than just people who fought together. Might as well have been me. I was the start of the Avengers, seems only fitting I got us all to actually act like a team,” he said with a shrug, as if it were no big deal.

Bruce was about to disagree with Tony’s statement, but Clint interrupted by announcing they were there. The team piled out and wandered through the woods, hunting for the perfect tree.

After going past way too many trees in Tony’s opinion they finally settled on one that Bucky deemed worthy. One smack from Thor’s hammer and the tree was on the ground, ready to be taken back to the tower.

Of course, the team couldn’t return to the quinjet until they had a rather childish chase with mistletoe in their hands. Despite searching and plotting, Tony never ran into Bucky. It wasn’t particularly worth playing if he couldn’t get a kiss from the one person he wanted to kiss.

Thor had easily carried the tree back to the jet, and soon the team was back on their way to the tower. Tony had JARVIS whip up some hot chocolate while they were out picking the tree, and he deemed it completely worthwhile when he saw the dazzling smile that crossed Bucky’s lips when he picked up a mug.

Bucky had turned, his eyes catching Tony’s, and he had given Tony a warm smile and tipped his head in thanks. It was the first time in days that Bucky had really noticed him, and that small action alone was enough to warm Tony’s insides before he had even taken a sip of his hot chocolate.

Once they arrived back at the tower, the tree was put up in the corner of the living area, but no one made an effort to put any decorations on it, much to Tony’s disappointment. He didn’t say anything though, the tree wasn’t his tradition, and so it didn’t matter. He had succeeded in getting Bucky to be happy, and that was the ultimate goal.

The days seemed to fly by after that, as Tony was down in his workshop working on Bucky’s present. Cap came down often, with either Sam or Bucky at his side to deliver food and drinks to him. More than once Steve forced him to stop working on “whatever your latest project is” to get some sleep. Not that he slept for long before he was back to working again, but whatever the Captain ordered.

Next thing Tony knew, he was being dragged out of his workshop by Clint to join the team in seeing The Nutcracker performance for Natasha. The show was actually beautiful, and Tony was grateful for Natasha’s tradition, as he hadn’t seen such an incredible performance in years.

They had all gone out for a meal together after the show was over. Tony sat diagonal from Bucky, and could see the permanent frown that was etched across his features. Without really thinking, he kicked Bucky under the table. Hard. As soon as Bucky’s eyes snapped to him, he smirked and nodded his head towards the end of the table, where Clint was staring at Nat as if she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

“Twenty bucks says they finally get together by Christmas Day,” Tony bet. Not that it mattered either way to him; he just wanted to see if he could get a rise out of Bucky. And it worked.

A grin crossed Bucky’s lips and he nodded firmly. “You’re on,” Bucky replied, never one to turn down a bet.

The ex-assassin’s attention wasn’t on him for very long before he turned away and began talking to Steve, but the fact he had gotten a smile out of Bucky was all that Tony needed to feel happy. He’d do anything to have Bucky smile, even if it wasn’t him causing the smile. Maybe he should ask Steve to make Bucky smile more? Shaking his head at the utterly ridiculous idea, Tony tried his best to focus in on the conversations happening around him.

Now and then he’d glance up to check on Bucky, only to see Bucky staring at him. He’d quickly look away and start talking to Steve or Sam again. Tony couldn’t deny, having Bucky staring at him made his heart race way more than it should have. Maybe he was winning Bucky over? But with the way Bucky kept looking at Steve, he wasn’t so sure.

Dinner was soon over and Tony disappeared back to his workshop, working twice-fold on his gift for Bucky. He was losing his chances with the super solider, so he doubled his efforts on his present to win him over. So what if he wasn’t sleeping or spending time with the team when he should have been? So what if he was overworking himself to the point of exhaustion? If it meant he might have a chance with the man he was in love with, there was no down side to the never-ending work.

He shrugged of a concerned Bruce, Clint, and Steve, who continuously kept telling him to stop working and to come join the team and actually relax for once. It didn’t take too much lying, saying he was resting and that he was just making adjustments to the suit, for the others to stop questioning him. He was a recluse by nature; so working in his workshop all day wasn’t anything new.

He did finally stop and join the team when they went out to ice skate for Thor’s tradition. It was quite amusing to see everyone’s different abilities to skate. Bucky, Thor, Natasha, and Steve were amazing skaters. Sam and Bruce were awful at skating, gripping onto the railings for support. Clint and Tony were average, not too bad but not great either.

Tony was happy to skate a couple laps and linger near the bars to watch the rest of the team enjoying themselves. It was entertaining to see Natasha challenging Steve and Thor to races.

What really had Tony’s attention were the skills Bucky had on the ice. Tony watched him take lap after lap, forward and backward, spinning circles around their friends. It was mesmerizing to watch, and Tony couldn’t tear his eyes off the ex-assassin.

Bucky caught his gaze a couple times, and Tony quickly looked away, not wanting to be caught staring. One time their eyes locked and Bucky actually winked at him before looking away. Tony blamed the cold for the red glow on his cheeks.

Bruce came over at one point and begged to stop, but Tony just shook his head and pushed him forward, laughing when Bruce collapsed onto the ice.

Seeing the murderous look in Bruce’s eyes, Tony whipped around to skate away from his friends wrath, only to skate straight into Bucky, knocking them both down to the ice with a painful thwack.

“Crap. I’m so sorry, Bucky,” Tony said, quickly assessing to make sure he wasn’t injured. He swiftly glanced over to Bucky to make sure he hadn’t hurt him either. When their eyes locked Tony physically winced at the look of pure anger that crossed Bucky’s face. The look made his heart crack a bit. Of course Bucky hates him. Why would anyone like him? “Bucky? I’m sorry, that was a complete accident. Are you alright?” Tony asked, concerned.

Bucky blinked and the look disappeared. “Of all the places to go down on someone, the ice really isn’t the most comfortable place. Maybe take me to bed next time at least,” Bucky spoke, a smile crossing his face as he teased Tony. Tony cracked up laughing, elbowing Bucky in the ribs, which made Bucky laugh. “I’m fine, no harm done,” Bucky said once the two of them had stopped laughing.

Tony went to start untangling his limbs from Bucky’s when Bucky’s metal hand moved forward in a flash and latched onto his wrist. He jerked slightly, the touch a pleasant shock.

When Tony opened his mouth to say something Bucky shook his head. He stared into Tony’s eyes for a moment before he asked gently, “Are you okay?”  
“What, from the fall? I’m good. I’m old but I’m not that old. One little fall isn’t going to harm me too much,” Tony said, trying to lighten the mood.

“That’s not what I mean. You’ve been spending a lot of time in the lab, almost too much time. You rarely ever spend time with the team and you don’t seem as upbeat as normal. So I’ll ask again, are you okay?” Bucky asked, more persistent this time.

“Since when did you notice how much time I’m spending in the lab?” Tony asked, stalling the question.

“That doesn’t matter. Answer the question, Tony. Are you okay? I’m- we’re worried about you, that’s all,” Bucky answered, his eyes darting away for a second before falling back to Tony.

Tony scrunched his eyebrows slightly, catching Bucky’s misstep of words. He elected to ignore it, now wasn’t the time to be analyzing words. “Yes, I’m okay. And no, don’t give me that look. I really am okay. I’m just busy working on some important tech, new upgrades and all. It really isn’t anything to worry about; I’m always like this. Ask Pepper, she’ll know. Also the reason she couldn’t stay with me. I spend too much time tinkering, not enough time noticing things that matter, like relationships; her words not mine. Besides the team doesn’t need me around too often anyway, so it’s all good,” Tony answered.

A wavering look passed across Bucky’s eyes, as if he didn’t believe Tony. “You know we’re a team, right? Doesn’t mean you need or have to shut us out all the time. A little talking here and there doesn’t make you weak. We all care, and we’re all here, anytime,” Bucky said gently.

Something sarcastic was at the tip of Tony’s tongue when he saw the genuine look of concern and something else he couldn’t quite place. He wasn’t going to push Bucky away when they were having a moment. So instead he gave a curt nod. “I appreciate it, thanks, Bucky. Team bonding, I’m all for it,” he said, throwing the other man one of his million dollar smiles.

Bucky hesitated for a second, the faint look of worry still lingering in his eyes, before he finally removed his hand from Tony’s wrist. Being quick to jump up, he offered a hand to Tony to help him up. Tony graciously accepted, and let Bucky pull him back to his feet. Once he was steady again, Bucky gave him one last lingering look before he skated off again, joining Natasha and Clint in their antics.

Taking a couple more laps around the rink, Tony soon joined Bruce on the benches, watching everyone else as they skated by. After a few minutes of silence Bruce spoke up. “Saw that interaction there between you and Bucky,” he said simply.

“Yeah, so? It was nothing, just a brief conversation,” Tony defended.

“Didn’t seem that way to me. Seemed like it was kind of something, actually,” Bruce commented, flashing a knowing smirk at Tony.

“Get your deductive skills out of here, Banner. They aren’t necessary. I’m the last person on earth that Barnes would be interested in, especially not when he and Rogers are as inseparable as they are. I’m sure they’re getting it on more times a day than any of the rest of us combined,” Tony snapped.

Bruce remained silent after that, but his smirk never left. It unhinged Tony. Bruce smirking was never a good thing. He made a mental note to keep his eyes on Banner, if only to make sure he wasn’t up to anything suspicious.

It wasn’t too much longer before the team gave up and called it a day. They all headed back to the tower with another tradition checked off the list.

Tony found the first moment he could to slip away back to his workshop when they were back at the tower. Just as he stepped into the elevator he cast a quick glance back into the room to see that Bucky’s eyes were trained on him. Tony would spend the next 75 hours convincing himself that he didn’t see the spark of worry and pain cross Bucky’s eyes when he’d left the team, and the elevator doors had shut behind him.

Over the next few days the same people visited him as usual, checking up on him briefly to make sure he was okay. Just like always, he brushed them off, reassuring them he was fine, thank you very much.

The rare times Bucky would join Steve as he dropped off food into the lab, Tony would swear up and down that there wasn’t a permanent look of concern in his eyes. Even though there was. It was easier to convince himself the looks weren’t for him, because really, what was there to worry about? This wasn’t out of the ordinary for him, so it shouldn’t be something worth worrying over anyway.

Again, he spent days working in the lab, with minimal time for rest, until Bruce came in and told him they were baking cookies for Clint’s tradition. He let himself get dragged back up to the main level, were everyone was in the kitchen helping to bake cookies and decorate them.

When Natasha threw a bag of icing at him and sternly told him to decorate he followed his orders with a “Yes ma’am.” Tony couldn’t deny, even though it was childish, sitting around with the team as they baked cookies and decorated them with stupid designs was one of his new favorite things. He couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. And seeing Bucky smiling, a streak of flour across his cheek, made Tony even happier.

It was all too much happiness, and as Tony well knew, things always had a way of regressing to the mean. Too much happiness meant something awful was right around the corner, and this time, it was quite literal.

It was two days later. The team had just spent a night watching a BBC Sherlock marathon, which had been rather enjoyable. Even with someone always speaking up and interrupting the show, it had still been one of the most entertaining nights Tony had had in a long time.

Everyone had split off to go to their own floors for the night once the marathon was over. Tony was actually on his way up to his own floor to actually get a proper nights' sleep when he had realized he had left his cup of coffee in the kitchen. Not wanting to go to sleep until he had drunk his coffee, Tony pressed the button in the elevator for the main floor.

The doors slid open and Tony slipped out and walked back towards the kitchen. As he rounded the corner from the living room into the kitchen that’s when the shitty thing Tony had been expecting happened. Except it was a million times worse than he had been preparing himself for.

There was Steve and Bucky in the kitchen together, alone. They were wrapped up in each other’s arms, Bucky’s head wresting on Steve’s shoulder. There was faint music playing, and they were swaying softly from side to side. Steve’s lips were pressed to the side of Bucky’s forehead, and Bucky’s hands were resting on Steve’s neck, his fingers resting in the short hairs he could reach.

Tony just stood there for a beat, everything clicking into place. All of the soft moments between the two of them, all the looks they shared, all connected to this. Of course Steve had beaten Tony to the act of winning over Bucky’s heart. Steve had probably won him over back in the day. Tony had never had a chance. That thought hit Tony so hard he stumbled back a step, effectively putting the corner between himself and the super soldiers.

Tony wasn’t sure what the feeling inside of him was, but the pain could only really be from heartbreak. It was unlike any kind pain he had felt before. It just left him feeling hurt and idiotic.

He made a quick retreat, heading for his quarters as fast as he could. This whole thing had been a waste of time. Yes, it was partly for the team, but the whole celebrating Christmas and making it such a big deal had mainly been for Bucky. He had known how much Christmas had meant to him, and the only thing he had ever really wanted was to make Bucky happy.

He never deserved Bucky anyway. Who was he really kidding? Bucky would never have liked him anyway. It was always Steve. How could Tony Stark ever compare to Steve Rogers? He was bloody Captain America for crying out loud. Of course Tony knew he’d never had a chance. Bucky would never have fallen for him, even if he was the last person on earth. Just like with Pepper, Tony had once again gone and let himself fall in love with someone that was too out of his league.

Someone like Bucky, who was intriguing and mysterious and captivating, never would look twice at someone as dull, old, and broken as Tony. He had fooled himself all along, and now he had nothing but his broken heart and his unrequited love for an ex-assassin who was clearly in love with his childhood best friend.

After this epiphany, Tony decided to barricade himself on his private floor or in his lab. He forbade JARVIS from letting anyone in, not that anyone came down either. Christmas was fast approaching, and everyone was much too busy to notice the disappearance of the billionaire.

 

Bucky’s POV  
The rush of the last week until Christmas was in full swing around the tower. The team had got together and made gingerbread houses, and had a competition to see who could make the best decorated house. Of course Sam had won. Bucky couldn't help but notice Tony's disappearance. Bruce had gone down to the lab to fetch him, but JARVIS had refused him access to enter.

His presence was soon forgotten as everyone got into the festive competition. Bucky still kept his eyes on the elevator, waiting for Tony to appear and join in the fun, but he never did.

After all the houses were decorated and left on the counter as decoration, they had all piled into the living room and finished their Sherlock marathon. Bucky's mind kept drifting back to Tony though. He assumed it was just work, as per usual, and soon brushed it off as just another Tony act.

The next few days brought no sign of Tony. Everyone was much too busy to notice; all doing last minute things before Christmas Day. Bucky had gone out with Natasha to go shopping so he could put the last pieces of his present for his secret Santa together. There was no one better to take; Natasha was the most brilliant in this field.

The two were walking back to the tower after their successful shopping trip when Natasha broke the comfortable silence. "If you want to go check on Tony, why don't you just do it?"

Caught in shock, Bucky stumbled and nearly fell, had Natasha not caught his arm and balanced him out. "What made you even think I wanted to do that?" he questioned, glaring at her.

"You keep staring off at the elevator, waiting for him to join us. If it's bothering you that much just go down to the lab and find out for yourself. He always does this, though. It's normal workaholic, Tony behavior. There's nothing wrong with him," she said, continuing to walk.

Bucky rushed to catch up and made a small noise of indignation. "I'm not worried about him. I just think this was all his damn idea, so he should be joining us and doing all these things, not hiding in his lab working," he huffed.

Natasha just shook her head. "He never realizes he's been working too long. He'd work and never stop if his body would let him."

"You defend him very readily," Bucky observed as they approached the tower entrance.  
"I've seen him work, that's all. He wasn't just given the title of a genius, philanthropist for nothing. He earned it," Natasha said, slipping past the doors and leaving Bucky to ponder what she had just said.

By the time Bucky had made it to the main floor, he and convinced himself he would drop by the lab just to see if Tony was okay. He was about to do it, he really was, but then Steve has rushed towards him and told him the two of them were needed at SHIELD straight away for a mission. All thoughts of Tony were swept away.

With their mission taking a couple of days, and Christmas now a mere two days away, everyone really was rushing around. People were in and out of the tower all the time. Clint and Bucky actually spent an afternoon playing a game of tracking who was in and out of the tower and how many times they left. Of course, Clint was winning, but Clint always won those sorts of things.

Bucky spent the rest of the day perfecting his present for the exchange. It had to be perfect, especially since he'd talked it out with Steve and was finally taking his advice. It was usually Steve taking Bucky's advice, but for once, Steve was right about this.

That's why Bucky was putting his all into this. He had to. Go big or go home, as Clint would say. He just needed to get some time alone with his secret Santa. And that opportunity was fast approaching, whether Bucky realized it or not.

Christmas Eve had finally arrived and everyone was in good spirits. Clint was in the kitchen cooking some amazing smelling food, and most of the team was either hanging around to help or were stealing food when Clint wasn't looking.

Bucky was playing a video game with Steve and Sam. Everything just felt right. Well, almost everything. Bucky was increasingly bothered that they hadn't heard a single word from Tony. Usually when he was working he let someone from the team into the lab so that they could bring him food and tell him to rest, but not this time. No one had laid eyes or heard anything from Tony in a week now, and it was really starting to bother Bucky. Well, it was more like it was worrying him, but he wasn't ready to admit that part out loud yet.

Finally Bucky spoke up so that everyone in the room could hear him. "Isn't it a little weird that Stark hasn't been seen or heard from in over a week?"

Everyone froze and turned to look at Bucky. "Ah, shit, I totally forgot that Tony hasn't been around," Clint said, dropping his spoon.

"Our Tony is always hard at work in his laboratory," Thor spoke up.

"This is different though, isn't it? Someone is always checking on him, right? Has anyone actually checked on him? Has anyone gotten into the lab at all?" Bruce asked, concerned.

Everyone shook their heads, guilty looks crossing their faces. Bucky glanced at Steve and saw the same 'caught red handed' look on his face that he saw the on rest of the team.

"Seriously, you too?" Bucky asked Steve in shock. Steve looked away from Bucky, too ashamed to say anything. "How did all of you just forget about Tony? You're living in his house, off of his generosity, taking part of the celebrations he planned, and you all just totally forgot to really check on him and find out why he hasn't been around? Was there ever anything even planned for Tony's tradition? JARVIS?" Bucky asked.

"I regret to inform you that Sir neglected to add himself to his list," JARVIS replied.

"That sounds like Tony, putting himself aside to please everyone else," Bruce said with a sigh.

"JARVIS, what's Tony's tradition?" Bucky questioned, his eyes flickering up to the ceiling.

"Sir's tradition is decorating the house and tree with Christmas decorations," JARVIS answered.

Everyone's eyes immediately flashed to the stack of boxes that Tony had brought in at the beginning of the month.

"Of course, he pushed those boxes in on the first and we all blew him off. So he never put any decorations up because he wanted us to come together to do it," Steve said piecing it together.

The room lapsed into silence, everyone filled with regret. Bucky let out an angry breath, his metal fist clenching at his side.

"That's it, all of you get off your asses. All of you are going to work together and put those decorations up right now. I'm going to get Tony and I want this whole place looking perfect by the time I get him here," Bucky commanded, taking control.

"How are you going to get him to let you in if he hasn't been letting anyone in up until now?" Bruce asked.

"JARVIS is going to tell Tony I broke my arm and that it needs fixing. You hear that, JARVIS? You're not going to tell Tony what's going on and you're going to override his code to let me in regardless of what he says, am I clear?" Bucky said, his voice low.

"Certainly, Sergeant Barnes," JARVIS answered.

"Sounds like as good of a plan as any. I'll get everything set up here, go get Tony," Steve said, giving Bucky a slight push towards the elevator.

Bucky hesitated for a second, but the look Steve gave him sent him on his way. Entering the elevator, he pushed the button for Tony's lab and was immediately descending.

"Sir has granted you access on the grounds of fixing your arm, Sergeant," JARVIS spoke up as the elevator slowed down.

"Good, thank you, JARVIS," Bucky answered as the elevator stopped. As the doors opened, he stepped out and held his metal arm behind his back.

Tony pushed himself away from his desk and looked at Bucky. "What did you do this time?" he asked, his voice forced. The tone of voice made Bucky physically wince. "J said it as an emergency," he promoted, no more warm than his initial question.

Hesitating for a moment, Bucky pushed himself to take a couple steps forward. "Well, it is an emergency, but..." Bucky started.

"Get on with it, Barnes. I'm busy and you're wasting my time," Tony snapped.

"What are you working on that's so important you've blown the team off for the last week?" Bucky fired back.

"What I work on has nothing to do with you. My work goes over your head anyway, so explaining would be the equivalent of explaining to a toddler," Tony quipped.

"Smarter toddler than you give me credit for, since I very easily got past your high security AI," Bucky answered.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Tony snapped.

"My arm isn't broken, it's perfectly fine. I forced JARVIS to lie and override your codes so I could get in here. Therefore, your high security isn't as strong as you thought it was. Not as much of a genius as you think you are," Bucky fired, taking a threatening step forward.

"You think getting passed JARVIS makes you the smart guy? Everyone on the team has gone against protocols and got past JARVIS. Even Thor's done it, and he doesn't know the first thing about human technology," Tony scoffed.

"Do you think being the smart guy automatically makes you better than me?" Bucky spat.

"Well, I mean, it definitely helps. You're nothing more than Steve's pet. Doesn't do much for you, always following him around like a lovesick puppy. Have you considered just fucking already? It's actually nauseating just watching the two of you pine after each other," Tony gagged.

"Keep Steve out of this, this has nothing to do with him at all," Bucky defended.

"Doesn't it always have something to do with Steve when it comes to you? Seriously, when are you not attached to him? I'm surprised he isn't around here as your backup in whatever you're trying to accomplish here."

"Who the hell said I was trying to accomplish anything here?" Bucky growled.

"No one just saunters into my lab unless they want something. That's how it works, Barnes. I'm completely forgotten until one of you needs me for my money or my tech. Of which, you're excuse to be here was tech work. So if you're not in any desperate need of my help, kindly get the hell out."

"God, you are so conceited it actually makes me want to punch you in the face," Bucky spat.

"Be my guest, it would be such an honor, Sergeant Barnes," Tony replied in a condescending tone.

Bucky lurched forward and pinned Tony by his throat to the wall, his metal arm pressing down firmly. Tony choked on a gasp but still managed to smirk at Bucky.

"Go ahead, do it. Oh but you can't, oh how you'll upset your little Stevie if you reverted back to your Winter Solider ways," Tony gasped out.

Bucky growled but loosened his grip on Tony so he could breathe. "Why the hell do keep making this about Steve? Got something against him?"

"Yeah, actually I do. I've got something against both of you. I'd appreciate it if you could stop fawning all over each other in public places of my tower. Save your flirting for somewhere I don't have to suffer watching it. It actually kills my brain cells, and I can't afford to be as idiotic as either of you. Now get the hell out of my lab, or I'll have JARVIS permanently remove you from the tower," Tony threatened.

Bucky held his ground for a few seconds before he took a step backward, processing Tony's words. Suddenly the look of anger that was on Bucky's face was replaced with confusion.

"Since when have Steve and I ever flirted, mind flirted in a public place?" Bucky questioned.

"Oh Jesus, every goddamn day. Especially on the main floor. Some of us just want to get our coffee at night without witnessing the two of you acting like lovesick teenagers at prom," Tony scoffed.

"Lovesick teenagers at prom...? What the hell....?" And then it clicked. It was such a shock that Bucky actually stumbled forward into Tony, effectively pushing him back up against the wall.

"You thought that was us flirting? You think Steve and I are a thing? That's utterly ridiculous. Seriously? You're the genius, and that's your brilliant conclusion?" Bucky asked in utter surprise.

"What the fuck are you on about?" Tony spat in indignation.

"You're the smartest, most attractive, annoying yet mesmerizing, selfless, incredible, and talented person that actually exists. And you think I want Steve? Haven't I made it obvious that my interest lies with you and not with Steve?" Bucky asked.

Tony stood there in silence for a moment. "Did you just compliment me?" he asked in confusion.

A look of half horror and half amusement crossed Bucky's face when he realized he really had just said what he'd been thinking for months. "Yes, I did."

"Wait a minute. Since when have you made it obvious you were interested in me? You barely talk to me, you're always cold with me, you don't like being alone with me in a room and..." Tony started to babble.

Bucky cut him off. "That was me trying not to have a moment like this with you. You were with Pepper and then when you broke up you never showed any interest in me or in any other guy. I had to physically refrain myself from either confessing how I felt or just jumping you and fucking you wherever I felt like it," he said with a shrug.

"But you and Steve were dancing?" Tony asked, trying to piece it all together.

"It wasn't anything more than dancing. I was actually using him to help me organize stuff for my secret Santa. I guess that part of it is kind of ruined now anyway. You're my secret Santa. I was trying to come up with a romantic way of telling you how I feel for you. I found out from Pepper that you love to dance, so I was putting together a romantic idea with dancing. Steve knows how I feel about you so he offered to help me get everything perfect," Bucky explained.

"We can still do it, the dance I mean. I like it. I'm the lead though," Tony said with a grin.

"Yeah, no, I'm the lead. Sorry babe, too bad, but you're not leading," Bucky teased, grinning back.

Tony grumbled something about him being the manly man, which just made Bucky laugh. Naturally Tony rested his head against Bucky's shoulder and Bucky's arm came around to rest on Tony's waist.

"So, you were jealous of Steve? Which means-" Bucky started to say.

"Yes, I'm in love with you, and I was jealous. Can we skip the theatrics now? I'm much too tired for any more theatrics," Tony mumbled.

"Says the drama queen himself. Wait, have you been sleeping?" Bucky asked concerned.

Tony shook his head no. "Been working. And before you ask, it's a present for my secret Santa, who just so happens to be you," Tony answered.

Bucky laughed again. "I guess everything does come full circle. Talking of full circle, I want you to come to the main floor with me right now," Bucky said.

"Why? I thought we were having a moment right here," Tony whined.

"We can finish our moment upstairs. There's something I need that's only on the main floor. Please, for me?" Bucky begged, his eyes shining with mischief and what Tony finally recognized as affection, as love.

He nodded his agreement and let Bucky drag him up to the main floor. When the doors slid open they were greeted by the team. It was the fact that the entire place that was decorated that had Tony turning to Bucky to look at him incredulously.

"You did this for me?" Tony asked.

Bucky smiled and nodded. "You did something for everyone else's tradition but you didn't even think about including yourself. So we got the information from JARVIS and I had the team get the decorations up while I came to get you."

Tony smiled, one of his real smiles, and reached out to brush his fingers over Bucky's wrist. "Thank you," he said to Bucky and then to the rest of the team. "Is this what you meant by finishing our moment?" he asked, directing his question at Bucky.

Bucky shook his head. "Yes all the decorations were a part of it. But there's a particular decoration that's my favorite, and it fits in with our moment."

With that Bucky grabbed Tony with his metal hand and pulled him to the entrance of the kitchen where someone had hung mistletoe. He then pushed Tony up against the wall and kissed him hard. Tony made a pleased noise and pulled Bucky closer, their bodies pressing up together, Bucky's hands settling on Tony's waist while Tony's tangled in Bucky's hair.

The rest of the team cheered, a chorus of "finally" and "I knew it" coming from them. Bucky chuckled into the kiss, electing to ignore the team in favor of thoroughly ravaging Tony's mouth.

"When you two are finished, we'll be heading to the movie theater for Bruce's tradition," Natasha called out. Bucky waved her off, pressing Tony further into the wall.

Tony finally pulled away for air and grinned. "Screw the movie, this is much more entertaining."

Bucky laughed and pressed his lips to Tony's neck and kissed up to his jaw. "Agreed," he mumbled, before he kissed Tony again. Bucky could care less about some movie, not when he'd found a new favorite tradition of making out with Tony under the mistletoe.

Christmas Eve turned into Christmas Day. The team all celebrated Christmas together, trading presents and eating a great meal made by Clint. It was the perfect Christmas. It even turned out that Tony had even been right about Clint and Natasha getting together. Bucky couldn't remember a more perfect Christmas if he tried. That also could have been because he'd officially got to have the one thing he had wanted more than anything else. Tony.

Later, after everyone had eaten and the team was watching a movie and sharing Christmas memories, Bucky and Tony slipped away. Bucky gave Tony his dance, telling him again that he loved him, as they kissed under the mistletoe for what felt like the millionth time since the day before. He also had given Tony a whole new set of tools, which Tony was over the moon about.

Tony, after spending weeks in his lab working, finally handed over his finished product to Bucky. It was a relatively small device that was able to fix up Bucky's arm whenever he needed it. Handy in situations when Tony wasn't around, or when Bucky was in battle and needed his arm fixed up ASAP. Bucky may have teared up when Tony gave it to him, saying he hoped he'd never have to use it because he always wanted Tony around. But he still loved it and promised to use it during battles.

After exchanging their gifts Bucky whisked Tony up and they started dancing again. That was, until Tony decided the music wasn't right. "JARVIS, drop my needle. You know which song."

Suddenly 'All I Want for Christmas is You' started to play through the speakers, which made Bucky laugh, which, in turn, made Tony laugh.

"You are so goddamn corny, I hope you know that," Bucky said as he wrapped his arms around Tony as they swayed together.

"Says the softy who planned this hopelessly romantic dance and everything just to tell me how he feels," Tony shot back as Bucky spun him out and back in again.

"I guess that makes us equally corny," Bucky agreed, pulling Tony impossibly closer.

"Oh no way, I bet I can out corny you any day. You want a corny relationship, then that's exactly what you're going to get, Barnes. Oh, and next dance I get to lead," Tony quipped.

"Alright, corny relationship it is. But I'm just letting you know now, you are not going to win that battle. I've got seventy years of clichés to unleash on you. You're going to wish you hadn't started this war," Bucky teased, resting his chin on top of Tony's head. "And good luck, I'm not letting you lead any dances any time soon."

Tony grumbled something unhappily, but Bucky moved to kiss him and whatever complaints he had were soon lost. The two spent the rest of Christmas dancing away, stealing kisses as they did. It was the perfect end to the perfect Christmas.

Although, they were both dead serious about the corny war. It wasn't enough that they were already an adorable and sickeningly sweet couple. Each holiday was over the top on the cliché scale. New Years was celebrated with all the cheesy traditions the two could come up with, much to the dismay of the rest of the team.

That's not even including how hopelessly romantic and cliché Valentine's Day was now that they were together. It ended up being so cheesy the rest of the team had to leave the tower because they couldn't take it. Bucky claimed himself the winner with his massive chocolates and flowers display that was so big it barely fit in their now shared bedroom. Tony accepted defeat on that round, only because Bucky's birthday was coming up, and he already had planned the most corny, cheesy, all around most romantic gift ever, so he knew he was taking home the victory soon enough.

But the real prize in the end was that they had each other, and they were madly in love, and that was all that really mattered.


End file.
